WHEN the Brooklyn Cyclones jumped to a 16-2 start, the Mets’ New York-Penn League affiliate seemed destined to take home the McNamara Division title. But thanks to a 12-game winning streak in the season’s final weeks, the Staten Island Yankees will end the season with their second straight division title instead.

On Aug. 22, the Cyclones were 38-22, and held a four-game lead over the 34-26 Yankees with 16 games to play. But after losing the first game of a doubleheader that day, Staten Island went on a 12-game winning streak that finally ended Friday night with a 5-2 loss at home against Vermont.

As it has been all season, Staten Island has been led by its 2009 draft picks. DeAngelo Mack, the team’s leading hitter at .311, has been on a tear. The 13th round pick from South Carolina is hitting .378 with two homers and nine RBIs over his last 10 games. Another 2009 pick, 19th round selection Luke Murton, also has been hot. The Georgia Tech product is hitting .344 with a homer and six RBIs in his last 10 games.

Thanks to last night’s 11-2 win over Vermont, the Yankees clinched both the division title and a fifth straight trip to the post season. That sets them up with a three-game series against the Red Sox’s affiliate, the Lowell Spinners, beginning on Tuesday.

Though Brooklyn might have seen the division slip out of its grasp, itsseason isn’t over. Because they will have the best record outside of the division winners, the Cyclones have earned the league’s wild-card berth, and will take on the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, the Indians affiliate, in a series that also will begin Tuesday.

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As the local New York-Penn League affiliates prepare for the playoffs, the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, the Trenton Thunder, likely saw their chances to chase for a third consecutive Eastern League title evaporate when they lost an 8-7 heartbreaker at New Britain Friday night.

Wilson Ramos’ RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning allowed Luke Hughes, who had led off with a walk, to come around and score, giving the Giants’ affiliate a much-needed victory. With the win, New Britain led Trenton by two games entering yesterday’s action.

The two teams were set to play three more games in New Britain to end the seaSon. The Thunder won last night, 4-3, but still need to win both today and tomorrow in order to have a chance to defend their back-to-back titles.